The Offering of Tarnished Hands
by Padewan CarrCarr
Summary: Oneshot Jou’s father has reached his breaking point and in doing so he may have caused his son to do the same. All Jou wants is some time to be by himself after his family life has unfolded, but a certain billionaire isn’t about to grant his wish. Poison


**The Offering of Tarnished Hands**

(Poison Spin-off)

**Summary: **Jou's father has reached his breaking point and in doing so he may have caused his son to do the same. All Jou wants is some time to be by himself after his family life has unfolded, but a certain billionaire isn't about to grant his wish.

**Disclaimer: **Thanks to Kazuki Takahashi for creating such intrigued characters that I've toyed with, and plan to for times to come.

**Warning:** Language and adult situations, (to me at least).

**A/N: **I know that it would take drastic circumstances to make Jou and Kaiba friends, as much as I'd like them to be so I created some circumstances myself. Personally I doubt that Jou's father is as vulgar and over bearing as I've made him out to be but the idea has been bouncing around in my mind for months. That and I needed a reason for Kaiba and Jou to be civil with one another in the sequel. Speaking of which, for those of you who are waiting for the Poison sequel it is coming. I haven't forgotten about any of you. Chapter one is already being typed up. So for now sit back and enjoy to the best of your ability, The Offering of Tarnished Hands.

**Jou POV**

Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Jounouchi toed the pebbled ground beneath his feet. In a repetitious, mechanical fashion he would give off a little kick and sway upon the park swing. A soft end of summer wind ruffled his unruly mop of blonde hair, and made him wish for his light jacket once night fell. But Jou made no sign of noticing the evening wind. Instead his eyes, once lively and bright, now faded, stared blindly at the ground.

Too many images stuck on repeat, ran through his head, over and over and over again. All Jou wanted to do was forget any of it had ever happened. The words reached out from each memory and spat at him like an acid, burning to his very core. They shouldn't have mattered any more, when hearing such degrading comments was a normal part of his everyday life.

"Pathetic, useless, damnation, a damn damnation…." The screaming remarks were strewn from a husky voice, brought on from years of cancer sticks, "Repulsive, asinine, senile, half-wit…."

When Jou had first heard those words he hadn't a clue as to what the majority of them meant. Though when each was accompanied by anger he concluded that they were anything but flattering. Especially when they came from his father. How long had he wished that just once he would hear his real name pass that man's lips? It had been his father's choice to name him Katsuya, so how come it was so hard to pronounce? The last time he'd been addressed properly he'd still been in middle school and even then his name came out a curse.

There had been hope that things might change for the better. Had. As in the past tense. Jou's last remaining thread of hope was dashed by none other then his wonderful father. He cringed from the memory, hunched over on his swing.

"I won't have a bastard son squandering shit off of me! Get the hell out of my sight you cursed piece of trash! And don't come crawling back until you're worth something! Or better yet, don't come back at all!"

It hurt way more then Jou was ready to admit, even to himself. He absolutely ached for love. The type of love that wasn't won, bought, gambled, or earned, but the type of love that was given freely from the heart. Love that you would sacrifice yourself for.

In traditional fashion the blonde didn't respond to his fathers' degrading comments, well aware of the pointless attempts at peace. The sooner he let him rant himself dry the sooner it would be over. Ironically it was his silent refusal to fight back that finally made Jounouchi-san snap.

The short, touching speech was quickly followed by Jou's dad, quite literally tossing him out of their stingy apartment. For someone sporting a beer belly and lack of hair he had one heck of a powerful grip. He grabbed a hold of Jou's arm and slammed him against the apartment door. The force made his head connect with the wood and for a few seconds all he saw was starts. Using the temporary blindness to his advantage Jounouchi-san pulled his son away form the door, opened it, and with both hands sent Jou flying over the threshold and out of his life. A quick grab onto the railing saved the blonde from tumbling face first down a flight of stairs. With no will to go much of anywhere Jou wound up in the confines of Domino Park, having nothing but his swing and the on coming night for company.

Considering the circumstances it was the perfect cliché of a time to spend with friends. Yugi would most likely nominated it and Anzu would vote in his favor. But if he wanted them to know about his family problems he would be anywhere but connecting with nature. Not one of his loyal friends deserved to be involved with his problems. It wasn't like he couldn't take care of himself. Heck, he'd practically been raised on the street during his early teens. Jou couldn't discredit his gang days for nothing. Coincidentally it was his gang beat, pot smoking, thief days that made Jounouchi-san proud of his son. If ever home he was always shown off to his dad's friends. In came Yugi and Duel Monsters and out went the respect. If only his father could have seen what good had become of him.

The odd stranger continued to walk past Jou, oblivious to his personal plight, each one existing in their own little bubble. A young girl bobbed her head to her MP3 player. An elderly couple was taking in the scenery. A few kids and their mother were walking the family dog. None of it could really distract him so he returned his gaze to the ground. If they stayed in their little bubbles then so could he.

A clinking of chains sounded beside Jou and he raised his head to see who'd decided to bother him. He had to take a second look to make sure his mind wasn't playing tricks on him and that he was seeing what his mind was telling him. Why did life have to be so uncontrollably cruel? Why? Why was it Kaiba Seto had decided to pay him a visit during his darkest hour?

No one could have blamed Jou for not recognizing the billionaire. He was wearing clothing almost similar to Jou's, the odd t-shirt and jeans, with the exception that his cost a fortune and probably hadn't been worn before or would be again.

The brunette grabbed a hold of the metal rings with remarkable familiarity to the action, although he didn't sway upon the swing.

Jou's shock quickly faded and he returned to staring at his feet. "What do you want, Kaiba?" he spat, his voice lacking the usual venom.

"Aren't your friends supposed to be wasting away with you?" Kaiba asked.

His superiority complex had a tendency to push the blondes buttons. "That's none of your damn business, Kaiba! Leave me the hell alone!" Jou growled, wanting to detour where the conversation seemed to be heading. He felt Kaiba's eyes fall on him.

"It becomes my business when Anzu shows up on my doorstep in a dead panic about you."

Jounouchi frowned so hard it hurt. He should have known that moneybags wasn't conversing with him just to be nice. The bastard was trying to earn brownie points with Anzu, by acting like he cared. No way would he let Kaiba use him. He might not have been in the billionaire's society class but he was a human being. And he wouldn't accept his pity, fake or not.

"You doin' Anzu's bidding now?" the blonde sneered.

No surprise that Kaiba got the underlining meaning instantly, yet for some reason he ignored it. "She never requested that I learn your whereabouts only if I knew _of_ them. At the moment no one but the two of us are aware that you are here."

What was up? Moneybags was being polite? Civil? Even his tone of voice didn't hold the usual degrading note and sneer. He hadn't even been called mutt yet. But with this curse on his life he doubted that would last very long.

"I don't want your sympathy."

A short, harsh chuckle echoed through the park. "Don't convince yourself that you're better then you really are, Jounouchi," there was the Kaiba they all knew, "You remind me of someone."

Curiosity over ran Jou's mind and his mouth responded before he could stop it. "Who?"

Kaiba fell silent. As the minutes ticked on Jou figured he wouldn't get an answer. Moneybags surprised him again.

"Me."

Seto POV 

The blonde erupted into angry laughter, clearly doing so only to ridicule Seto. Here he was trying as much as his will would let him to . . . help the mutt and Jou thought everything was a joke. Anzu had better appreciate every second of torment he subjected himself to. Once she was filled in he darn well wouldn't let her forget.

For the first time all evening brown eyes looked at Seto with bitter contempt. Jou shot off of his swing and spun to face his well-known rival, a growl already on his lips. "Can the jokes Kaiba Just 'cause you have your precious company doesn't give ya the right to make fun of me! Take your crap somewhere else! You can go-"

"What did he do?" compared to Jou's ranting of inconsequential things, Seto's question was almost a whisper, spoken in a low voice to be heard over Jou. The blondes stared at him, mouth agape in shock. "What did your father do?"

Fear practically radiated from Jou's body. Continuously putting fear into others for business reasons or out of the pure enjoyment, Seto was familiar with what Jou was emitting. But the blonde still managed to surprise him. He dropped his head in defeat, stuffed his hands in his pants pockets and turned to walk away. That was not the reaction Seto had been expecting. Jou had always been ready for a fight. Heck, he tended to start eighty percent of them.

Seto didn't move from the swing, as uncomfortable as it made him feel. "You haven't gotten used to the verbal abuse have you? It's never going to stop. Nor will you be able to forget." Truth be told he was speaking from personal experience.

"Fuck you!" Jou's rage began to bubble over, making him red in the face, "What the hell do you know! You've no idea what I've been through!" he balled his hands into fist, tearing them from his pockets and stormed towards Seto.

Taking that as a cue the billionaire stood to his full height for an advantage. "I know that hope is futile; that odd circumstances can strike your memory at any moment. And no matter how much you lie to yourself the nightmares will never fully go away."

"H-how . . . why?" Jounouchi began to stutter

Half of Kaiba was as lost and confused as Jou. He had been asking himself the same things. What made the mutt deserve his help, his companionship? He had friends to take care of that. So how come the billionaire decided to spend his evening hunting down Jounouchi Katsuya, after a tearful Anzu invaded his home? The only reason he could come up with.

"Shut your mouth before you catch flies," he ordered, attempting to appear aloft. He didn't dare show any form of comprehension or care. "When I went through similar circumstances I had always wished for a companion to talk with, someone who could relate. The only person I had was Mokuba and I refuse to burden him with my problems," he paused, but got no response, "A little understanding was all that was needed."

Jou silently studied Seto. He felt for a moment like they had switched places and he was the vulnerable member of the party with his soul up for show. He sighed inwardly when Jou finally turned his burning brown eyes away.

"You too, huh."

"He had a unique form of . . . training."

Jou nodded his head, slowly pondering over what he'd just been told. He opened and closed his mouth five times before finally speaking. "Is it . . . is it possible that things can change?"

Seto smirked to himself. "In my opinion, no."

"I . . . I didn't ever ask for anything . . . I tried . . . I tried to be what he wanted, but nothing was ever good enough . . . . . All I ever really wanted . . ." Jou seemed to realize who he was bearing his heart to, "Ah, forget it."

It was a little hard to forget when ones thoughts were almost identical. The billionaire found it easier to push such ideas to the back of his mind and become lost in work. They may have been there but he wasn't caught up brooding over the painful memories. Of course he also knew how to be cold and withdrawn. Jou was more loyal and passionate about life. Seto didn't doubt he would believe in his father until Jounouchi-san's dying day.

"Love?" he smirked at the blondes yelp.

"Stop doing that! You're just gonna use all this for blackmail, aren't you! I'm leaving!"

It was good to see some of the mutt's will power return. His bout of sulking put his weaknesses on display. Anger was the first step to recovery. Seto shook his head. Who knew he'd start quoting his own brother. Mokuba had used that line on him countless times.

Jou hurried towards the park exit, clearly wanting more space between them. With every intention to add more wood to the fire he followed. It didn't take long to catch up with the slow pace Jou'd set for himself.

"Going home, Jou?"

The name Yugi was muttered between dry lips.

"Would you prefer that I pretend I believe you?" Seto smirked.

Jou stopped walking underneath the park archway. "Damn it, Kaiba! Can't you just leave me alone!" he pleaded.

"That is something I can't do."

"What?"

Seto retrieved his ring of keys from his pants pocket and proceeded over to the most expensive car parked illegally against the curb. "This is the only thing I _am_ doing for Anzu. Get in the car." That was an order.

Jounouchi remained where he was standing. "Where are you going?" he asked.

The evening was quickly turning into an aggravating game of twenty questions.

Seto narrowed his eyes at Jou over the roof of his car. "Get in or every single one of your friends and then some will quickly learn why you pulled the vanishing act you did. It's amazing what the power of the press can do." So he was blackmailing him. It was for his own good, Jou just didn't see it yet.

Jou yanked open the passenger side door with no more questions or complaints, and flopped onto the seat, fuming the entire way.

Jou POV 

Exactly twenty-seven minutes since they had left Domino Park Jounouchi was bursting to get out of Kaiba's car. He didn't even wait for him to put it in park before throwing the door open and leaping from his leather seat. That had to be the longest car ride he'd ever been on. Next to the time Honda and himself got lost coming back form a concert in Tokyo, at two in the morning.

The rivals hadn't spoken a word to each other, after Kaiba's poetic threat was tossed on the table. All he really wanted was to be left alone. No questions. No attempted cheering up. No invasion into his private life by moneybags'. Man, didn't Kaiba get it? He claimed to understand where Jou was coming from, but Jou wasn't a moron and refused to believe everything Kaiba spewed from his mouth.

"Are you going to stand there all night?" Kaiba asked, impatiently waiting at the front door of his mansion.

Jou really needed to start paying more attention to his surroundings. He reluctantly climbed the front steps.

It surprised him that Kaiba's mansion looked relatively welcoming. No barbwire fencing, or guard dogs with spiked collars. Hey, no one could blame him for his creative imagination. Instead there was a wall of stone on what he guessed was the edges of Kaiba's property. If someone really wanted to they could have easily climbed over into uncharted territory. The mansion had a collection of vines growing up one section of it, the flowers in full bloom. Never ending gardens surrounded the mansion and a bike was lying on the ground close to the front door. But the biggest shocker was that moneybags used a normal key to enter his home.

Not about to be left behind, Jou quickly followed only to be stopped short by a familiar voice.

"Seto!" Anzu cried, appearing from out of nowhere in the front hall. "Where were you? First Jou takes off and then you. Why wasn't your cell on? I was worried something bad had-"

Kaiba took a step sideways and revealed the blonde, who until his dying day refused to admit that he had been hiding in Kaiba's shadow.

"Jou!" She ran the remaining few meters and launched herself at him. Her arms wrapped tight around his shoulders and he didn't hesitate to return the hug, enjoying the comfort it brought. "Don't you ever take off on us again. We were worried that you were hurt. You're not hurt, are you? You should have called one of us. We're your friends and we always stick together." She pulled away with tears in her eyes. "Don't you understand that we care about you , Jou?"

He knew that. He'd always known that. His group of friends felt like an extended family to him. They stuck together no matter what. Jou began madly blinking his eye to prevent any unwanted specks from invading his eyes. There was no way he'd cry in front of Kaiba.

"I'm sorry, Anzu," the blonde replied, eyes focused on the shiny floor tiles.

She pulled him into another hug. "Just promise you won't do it again."

"I promise," Jou told her, "But how'd you guys know I wasn't at home. I could have been at the mall or something."

This time it was Anzu's turn to look away, all the way to Kaiba. His body became tense as he realized that they could have talked before hand. After all they were dating, who could stop them from telling each other everything. Even things about his private life. Moneybags had better pray Jou thought wrong.

Kaiba seemed to read Anzu's eyes and spoke instead. "Your sister tried to contact you at home and became rather upset. When she realized you weren't at any of your friend's houses she created a search party."

"Oh! I almost forgot," Anzu exclaimed, "We need to contact everyone and let them know we found you. Seto, do you have your cell phone?" she asked, holding out her hand.

A harsh thump sounded in Jou's chest, like his heart had stopped beating and his face paled under his tan. She was only being his friend, he had to remind himself, and not trying to unintentionally control his life. As mush as he wanted things to calm down that wasn't the case.

He grabbed her outstretched wrist. "Anzu, can we . . . can we not tell them I'm here?"

She looked up at him in confusion. "But why not? We-"

"I don't want my home crawling with your friends," Kaiba answered for him, "It getting late and I've been delayed from my work for long enough."

Anzu glanced from Jou to Kaiba and must have seen something he didn't because she nodded her head in agreement without asking any more personal questions. They were even harder to deal with from her, being one of his closet friends and all, and he'd rather she didn't think bad of him. Kaiba already did so that made no difference.

She pulled her hand from his grasp. "Alright. But can we at least let them know you're okay? Especially Shizuka?"

Jou could live with the small sacrifice. It didn't take Anzu long to get a hold of all their friends and fill them in on his safety. Thankfully she never said she was with him and he never had to go through the panicked voices, and probably a few threatening ones. After finally saying goodbye to Ryou Anzu told them she too had to head home.

She gave Seto a kiss and said something quietly in his ear, then turned to Jou. "Call me tomorrow, okay? There aren't a lot of days left that we can spend together."

He'd almost forgotten that she'd be heading off to university in a couple weeks. Jou assured her he would, and hugged her goodbye. The blonde didn't have time to ponder over being left alone with Kaiba again, when Mokuba made his appearance. The young Kaiba walked towards them with a bowl of ice cream in his hands and remnants of it around his mouth.

Mokuba gave him a big grin. "Jou, what are you doing here? Want some ice cream? We've got lots." He held out his bowl to let Jou see for himself. Jou had to admit that the sight of food was tempting and his stomach let out a growl in agreement.

"I guess," he said just to put his answer into words.

"Great! We've even got butter scotch ice cream that you like, Seto."

The billionaire eyed his brother suspiciously. "I have work to do."

A big pair of innocent gray eyes stared up at Kaiba. Add the small portion of ice cream on his face and he was adorable with a capital a. "But Nii-sama, you work too much already and summer's gonna be over soon. I'll have to go to school, so we won't get to do anything together."

Kaiba didn't respond. Instead he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Mokuba seemed to take that as a yes, turned off his little act in the blink of an eye, and began directing Jou towards the kitchen, while Kaiba followed.

"Wow," The blonde commented, "Who knew acting like a puppy could get you things. What a talent Mokuba."

The kid shoveled another spoon of ice cream into his mouth. "Yeah, but it won't get me a puppy."

"Mokuba," Kaiba said in a stern voice, clearly wanting him to change topics.

Moneybags on edge always made Jou curious so he pushed forward. "Why's that?"

"Cause Seto's allergic."

It was said so innocently that Jou didn't know what to reply with. He eventually stopped walking in shock. The powerful billionaire had a weakness for dogs. Well, not dogs but a weakness because of them. The same guy who would refer to him as mutt, day in, day out couldn't go near the animal because he was allergic. He doubted that even Anzu knew that.

The glare Kaiba was giving Jou had no effect on him what so ever and he laughed. Mokuba was looking at him funny but he only laughed some more. Clutching his stomach Jou fell to his knees, laughing so hard he began to cough just to catch his breath and that was when he realized he'd started to cry. He'd had all day to sob out his woes, but had waited until he was in front of his greatest rival. The tears wouldn't stop and his throat had grown thick, almost horse, but he didn't care. Deep inside all her really wanted to do was cry.

Somewhere in front of him he heard Kaiba tell his brother to go play video games or read a book and then it was just the two of them. Alone, again. Kaiba didn't ridicule him for his actions or offer a comforting hand. He sat down on the floor a little ways from Jou and remained silent. That by itself was more then he could handle. Jou cried.

Owari………

A/N: Yeah, I know that Kaiba still acted like a jerk to Jou, but that's who he is and it's not going to change over night. Just like Jou didn't pour his heart out to Kaiba when he saw someone who could relate. Stubborn is as stubborn does. Originally the whole story was suppose to be told from Jou's point of view, to focus on his life, but I decided it would be best to see where Kaiba was coming from for a short while and help explain his actions. Like it? Hate it? Tell me all.


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